Police bodycam experiments a success, 2,000 mini cameras on order

DutchNews, April 24, 2019

Photo: Politie.nl

The use of bodycams has led to less aggression against the police and more officers are to be equipped with the mini cameras while patrolling the streets, Dutch police said on Wednesday. 

Experiments using the cameras at 30 different locations have shown their use to be ‘valuable’ in reducing aggression and in collecting evidence, police said. Some 2,000 bodycams will now be ordered for beat officers, the statement said. 

Some 700 police officers in Amsterdam were equipped with the cameras during the experiment and bodycam patrol teams in particular were less likely to face threats and intimidation than those without, the researchers said. 

‘Looking at serious threats, for instance, the percentage of victims among officers in the treatment group dropped from 74% to 57%,’ the report said. 

However, there was no effect on behaviour in situations using people who had been drinking or using drugs. 

The cameras were used by traffic police, security details, dog teams and at major events.

‘In society at large, we are used to filming everything we experience and sharing the images with others,’ said spokesman Theo van der Plas. ‘The use of sensors and image technology is becoming increasingly important in police work.’

Facebook adds new tools to stem online bullying

Yahoo – AFP, October 2, 2018

Facebook says it will add new tools to help users avoid unwanted or hurtful comments,
amid growing concerns about cyberbullying on social networks (AFP Photo/JOEL SAGET)

San Francisco (AFP) - Facebook on Tuesday stepped up ways to battle bullying and harassment at the leading social network.

The initiative calls for new tools and programs to help users control "unwanted, offensive or hurtful experiences on Facebook," global head of safety Antigone Davis said in a blog post.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe on Facebook," Davis said.

Facebook users will be able to hide or delete groups of comments, including responses, instead of having to remove them one at a time, according to Davis.

The feature was rolling out on desktop computers and Android-powered mobile devices, and promised to reach versions of the application on Apple gadgets in coming months.

Facebook also began letting people report bullying or harassment on behalf of friends reluctant to complain to the social network themselves.

"Being the target of unwanted attention can be stressful and some people may not feel comfortable reporting a bully or harasser," Davis said.

"If you see a friend or family member being bullied or harassed, now you can report someone on their behalf."

A team at Facebook reviews complaints to determine whether reported posts violate policies at the social network.

An appeals process implemented earlier this year regarding photos, videos, or posts taken down due to hateful, violent, or sexually explicit content will extend to decisions regarding bullying, according to Facebook.

"You will soon be able to ask for a further review if you report a piece of content for bullying or harassment and you think we made a mistake in determining whether it violates our policies," Davis said.

Facebook is also testing ways to let users search for or block words considered offensive in comment sections of their posts.

A majority of US teenagers say they have been victims of online harassment or bullying, and that social media companies aren't doing enough to fight the problem, a recent survey showed.

The Pew Research Center survey found that 59 percent of US teens reported being bullied or harassed online, and 63 percent said it was a major problem for people their age.

"Name-calling and rumor-spreading have long been an unpleasant and challenging aspect of adolescent life," said Monica Anderson, the lead researcher for the Pew report.

"But, the proliferation of smartphones and the rise of social media has transformed where, when and how bullying takes place,"

Pakistan lifts YouTube ban after three-year suspension

Pakistan has unblocked access to YouTube after Google launched a local version of the video sharing platform. The site had been suspended for hosting "blasphemous" content.

Deutsche Welle, 18 January 2016

YouTube is once again available in Pakistan, officials announced on Monday. The move came after Google - which owns the video-sharing site - launched a region-specific version which filters out content the government deems offensive.

"Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Monday directed the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to unblock YouTube with immediate effect," a senior government official told news agency AFP.

"The ban has been lifted after Google launched a country-specific version in which it would be possible to block blasphemous and offensive content," the official said.

Under the new arrangement, the PTA may now directly appeal to YouTube to remove content that it deems "offensive."

"Google has provided an online web process through which requests for blocking access of the offending material can be made by PTA to Google directly and Google/YouTube will accordingly restrict access to the said offending material for users within Pakistan," Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom said in a statement.

A user in Pakistan browses
Youtube on his mobile phone

Blocked for blasphemy

The Pakistani Supreme Court ordered a ban on YouTube in 2012 after the short movie,the "Innocence of Muslims," was uploaded.

The US-made film portrayed the Prophet Mohammed as a rowdy deviant, triggering violent protests across the Muslim world. In Pakistan, 20 people died during demonstrations against the film.

As Internet access spreads throughout the majority-Muslim country, Pakistan has blocked thousands of websites which contain offensive or undesirable content over the last few years. Activists have criticized these blocks, saying that the government often decides to shut down critical or liberal voices.

rs/kms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Related Article:

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

Facebook's Zuckerberg promises Merkel action on hate speech

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received assurances from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that the company will combat racist comments on the Internet. They met on the sidelines of a UN development summit.

Deutsche Welle, 27 Sep 2015

Zuckerberg and Merkel talking at table

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Saturday promised German Chancellor Angela Merkel that his company would work on measures to combat racist and hateful comments on the social media platform.

In comments heard over an inadvertently live microphone on the United Nations live stream at a global summit in New York, Merkel asked whether Zuckerberg intended to improve the situation, to which he answered: "Yes."

This comes after German Justice Minister Heiko Maas met with Facebook representatives in Berlin in mid-September following the posting of a number of right-wing extremist and racist comments about refugees.

Maas had expressed bewilderment that photos considered to be indecent were quickly deleted, while hate speech postings were often left on Facebook pages even after users had complained. Merkel had also called on the company to take measures to fight mass incitement.

Among other things, it was agreed at the meeting to form a task force to tackle the problem of hate speech on the Internet.

Internet for all

Also at the UN special summit, which aims to formulate steps toward eradicating extreme poverty by 2030, Zuckerberg and Microsoft founder Bill Gates pledged to attempt to bring Internet access to everyone in the world by 2020.

"When people have access to the tools and knowledge of the Internet, they have access to opportunities that make life better for all of us," said a declaration signed by Zuckerberg and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Bill and Melinda Gates have dedicated
much of their wealth to philanthropic goals

"The Internet belongs to everyone. It should be accessible by anyone," the statement added.

'Key driver'

Zuckerberg said for every 10 people connected to the Internet, one is lifted out of poverty, adding that broader Internet access could allow 600 million children who currently have no opportunity for schooling to be educated.

He also described the Internet as "the key driver of social and economic progress in our time," saying that it provided "the chance to build a common global community with a shared understanding."

The current UN summit, which ends Sunday, is aimed at fixing some of the world's greatest problems by means of a 15-year road map, which was endorsed on Friday by the 193 members of the world body. The plan includes measures to combat climate change and eradicate the worst cases of poverty.

tj/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)